Training Programme on Jute based Carpet Doormat

Thirty days Training on Jute based Carpet Doormat was organized by Murshidabad Ursa Rural Development Society in association with Jute Service Centre. The training program on Jute Bag craft was conducted at Islampur, district of Murshidabad. The total number of participants participated were 30.

The training on Jute Bag was imparted by Master Trainer. Technical inputs were given on the cost of production. The inputs were given on the cost of raw material, wages, other expenses including the sales expenses and calculation of profit. In present scenario, most of the artisans have been linked with the middle men who place and collect orders/job work from them and forward it to comparatively bigger and expensive markets.

Integrated Skill Development Training Programme on Bag Stitching

Training-Cum-Skill Development programme on Jute Handicrafts was organized by Murshidabad Ursa Rural Development Society in association with IJT, Kolkata. The training program on Jute Handicrafts was conducted at Islampur, district of Murshidabad. The total number of participants participated were 180.

The training on Jute Bag was delivered by Master Trainer. Technical inputs were given on the cost of production. The inputs were given on the cost of raw material, wages, other expenses including the sales expenses and calculation of profit. In present scenario, most of the artisans have been linked with the middle men who place and collect orders/job work from them and forward it to comparatively bigger and expensive markets. Such families constitute the 75% of the total artisans where as the rest 25% do it on their own, which includes from arranging the raw material to complete the task and further giving it to the suppliers. The basic themes are:

Jute Bag Stitching

Jute made Handicrafts

Bleaching and Dyeing of JDPs

Handloom products of JDPs

Child Labour Awareness & Camp

MURDS had taken initiative to generate Awareness Camp on Anti-Child Labour at Islampur in Murshidabad. The initiation includes an Awareness Generation Programme and a Rehabilitation Programme, helping them going back the mainstream of life. The camp consists of 54 children, who were withdrawn from Child Labour. The programme is specifically aimed at reducing Child Labour from the society.

MURDS is providing educational support to the community children of Raninagar –I &II areas. Volunteers of MURDS visit houses of local students and assist them in their study and preparation for the exams through coaching and guidance for which they get a very meager amount as stipend.

Self Employment Awareness Camp

India today is at the threshold of what is popularly coined as "demographic transition", a journey that has been walked by the developed economies of the world. Take for instance the fact that by 2025 India is slated to have 65 per cent of its populace in the working age bracket which would roughly translate to around 95 crore people, while the world grows older including the likes of China, Japan, East Asia, US and parts of Europe.

It is here that the Government's policy measures and directs skill development initiatives come to the fore. With deep commitment to the development of skilled resources in the country, MURDS is working closely with the state governments to help implement their skill development initiatives. MURDS has taken up an ambitious mission of grooming few thousand youth in the next few years.

The programme has already got the state government’s stamp of approval and will resume by June 2013. This up-skilling project is sponsored by the Society for Self Employment of Unemployed Youth, Government of West Bengal through District Self Help Group & Self Employment Officer, Department of Self-Help Group, and Government of West Bengal.

Health Awareness Camp

Towards creating a healthier society by popularizing preventive measures, MURDS organizes awareness programs on various issues of health and hygiene. For this purpose, organization makes use of visual media which communities are familiar with like street plays,puppet shows etc. Another strategy employed is involving children and youth in awareness programs like rallies, debates etc. because, children are the best messengers to carry the message to their parents, family and other community members. Health-weeks and health camps are also generally organized in villages for different age groups.

Information about the conduct of health awareness sessions and camps is widely canvassed by Foundation well in advance. These sessions and camps are organized in coordination with the community keeping their time and other constraints in mind. Through these activities, organization ensures that such programs reach maximum number of people.

Highlights:

General and specific health awareness camps with focus on diseases like Dengue and Chikungunya, eye, ear, dental problems, HIV/AIDS, H1N1 (Swine Flu) have been organized at all Foundation locations. Awareness programs on Ante-Natal and Post-Natal Healthcare, Reproductive Child Health etc., are also conducted.

There has been regular involvement of District Health and Education Departments in these programs.

Foundation also collaborates with NGOs to conduct the health awareness programs in the villages.

Child-to-child and child-to-community strategies have been adopted in some places to spread vital health messages. For example, Children were trained on Tuberculosis with the help of Medical and Health Department and these children in turn are encouraged to spread the message through presentations, special games and plays devised for the purpose. Some youth are also trained as DOT providers in association with Health Department.

Positive Deviance / Hearth approach has been adopted in some places to address malnourishment in 0-5 year age-group children. Under this approach, the positive deviants (families with well-nourished children) are identified to understand the unique behaviors that enable them to outperform their neighbors and this wisdom is shared with the families with malnourished children through well designed nutrition, Health education programs.

To sensitize pregnant and lactating women on maternal and child health and to reduce women and infant mortality rates, MURDS conducts health awareness camps for them and runs Nutrition Centers in some locations providing nutrition supplements and health check-ups.

Advance Training Programme on Footwear

Thirty days Training programme on Advance Training Programme on Footwear craft was organized by Murshidabad Ursa Rural Development Society in association with District Industries Centre. The training program on Jute Footwear was conducted at Islampur, district of Murshidabad.

The total number of participants participated were 75. The training on Jute Bag was delivered by Master Trainer. Technical inputs were given on the cost of production. In present scenario, most of the artisans have been linked with the middle men who place and collect orders/job work from them and forward it to comparatively bigger and expensive markets.

Education Awareness Camp of Drop out Students

MURDS is providing educational support to the community children of Raninagar –I &II areas. Volunteers of MURDS visit houses of local students and assist them in their study and preparation for the exams through coaching and guidance for which they get a very meager amount as stipend.

Women Employment Generation Camp

MURDS believes that no development process is completed without the participation of women. It is sad that the social and economic position of women in India is still very nominal and women are cornered in every aspect. A lot of programmes needed to be implemented in order to motivate women for taking charge of.

MURDS is also organizing special programme for legal awareness, awareness against family violence, dowry death, health, economic independence, nutrition, and social issues.

MURDS is organizing Women Economic Empowerment Programme, a vocational training for young women for their economic empowerment and self independence. The content of the vocational training programme is based on local needs so that they could start their earning easily through production and sale of the products produced during the learning of the programme. Total number of beneficiaries is 112.

Book Distribution Camp

MURDS has distributed books at Islampur, among deprived children to enhance their level of knowledge and develop reading habits. MURDS believes that the availability of different types of books for all children is necessary to provide them with the best possible education and knowledge.

Because many parents could not afford to buy necessary books for their children, MURDS has come up with this lending system, so that even the poorest children can become literate grow reading habit. Each year new books are added to the library and some older books are being given away freely to the children.

Consumer Protection & Tathya Sanskriti Awareness Camp

As part of the awareness generation campaign MURDS was conducted awareness lectures about the rights and duties of the consumer in the different schools of Raninagar-I & II blocks in the district of Murshidabad.

Cloth Distribution Camp

We organize cloth distribution camps in slums, orphanages and old age houses. We as an organization strongly feel about destitute and for us nobody should suffer the lack of clothes.

As we are born, weather is sensitive for everyone; everybody feels heat, cold and rain. So just because they are poor we don’t want they should suffer- because for us all human life is sacred.

These camps are very often and have its own importance. Recent camps were organized in the slums of Islampur. Many more such camps are in pipeline.

Road Safety Camp

A training-cum-awareness camp was organised as a part of the National Road Safety Week at the Passing Ground near Islampur. About 250 drivers and conductors of different areas and operators of commercial vehicles participated in the programme.

They were advised to get their vehicles checked time and again and follow traffic rules for their own safety. They participants were also advised to wear seat belts while driving, keep their documents complete and to keep the Pollution-Control Certificate available.

They were also told to be patient while driving and not use mobile phones. Further, they were asked to refrain from drink driving and not over load vehicles.

Seminar on Minorities Awareness

The aim of the Workshop on the Rights Based Approach to Development was to develop a greater understanding of rights based approaches among participants and thus enable them to implement the approach within the sphere of their own work on development education and international development work in practice and in addition to promote it within their advocacy on development issues.

It was intended for individuals affiliated with development NGOs, teachers training institutes, teachers associations, coordinators of youth groups and other institutions who work on a variety of development and human rights issues and are committed to and in a position to promote development issues and strategies in their country. Participants of the workshop were provided with an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they have gained during the workshop through the implementation of specific in-country campaigns in their respective countries.

Environment Awareness Camp

MURDS believes it is very important to stimulate awareness about the environment and to enhance public action. Through the observance of World Environment Day on 5th day of June and related actions and workshops MURDS wants to make children more aware of the environment they live in and the necessity to preserve this environment.

During this one-day event, which was attended by 152 women from rural area, several environmental topics have been addressed, like clean water, trees, and litter on the streets. The children were stimulated through games, like planning new trees, to think about their living environment.

Aids & Appliances to Disabled persons

The Organization is providing prosthetic, Orthotic & other Rehabilitation at minimum costs. The requirement for providing the aids/appliances, which are essential for the social, economic and vocational rehabilitation of the disabled persons, has come into sharp focus, particularly after the enactment of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, which came into force in 1996.

Various surveys conducted from time to time have made it clear that India has a very large number of disabled persons. Many of them come from low-income groups. Disability restricts their opportunities for leading functionally productive lives. From the application of modern technology, a number of aids have been designed & developed, which can reduce the effects of disabilities and enhance the economic potential of the disabled. To illustrate Tricycle, Wheel Chair, Artificial limb, Crutch, Brace, Splint can greatly improve the mobility of person with locomotor disability. Similarly, with the help of a powerful hearing aid, persons with some residual hearing can be helped to carry on many activities of daily living. Low vision aids can help the persons with substantially reduced vision to read, print and undertake other activities resulting in their rehabilitation. However, large numbers of disabled persons are deprived of the benefits of these appliances because of their inability to find funds to purchase them.

In the light of the Government's growing concern for disabled persons and in effort of bringing the aids and appliances within their reach, it has been decided to continue the ADIP Scheme and modify it in such a way that it becomes more user-friendly and the needy are not deprived of aids/appliances, which are essential for their social, economic and vocational rehabilitation. If they can, thereby, become earning members they would be much closer to achieve economic self-dependence and also be able to live and pursue their activities with dignity.

The main objectives is to assist the needy disabled persons in procuring durable, sophisticated and scientifically manufactured, modern, standard aids and appliances that can promote their physical, social and psychological rehabilitation, by reducing the effects of disabilities and enhance their economic potential. The aids and appliances supplied under the Scheme shall conform to BIS specifications to the extent possible. The Scheme also include under its ambit, medical/surgical correction & intervention, which is essential prior to fitment of aids and appliances.

A person with disabilities fulfilling following conditions would be eligible for assistance:

He/she should be an Indian citizen of any age.

Should be certified by a Registered Medical Practitioner that he/she is disabled and fit to use prescribed aid/appliance.

Person who is employed/self-employed or getting pension and whose monthly income from all sources does not exceed Rs. 10,000/- per month.

In case of dependents, the income of parents/guardians should not exceed Rs.10, 000/- per month.

Persons who have not received assistance from the Government, local bodies and Non-Official Organisations during the last 3 years for the same purpose.However, for children below12 years of age this limit would be 1 year.